For nearly more than 25 years, CA has been fighting for better laws and public policies at the national and state levels on behalf of its members.
CA works on a wide range of issues on behalf of its diverse membership, most of whom are self-employed or work for small businesses involved in agriculture and in rural communities. Tax policy, small business development, health care cost issues and rural health care, agricultural economic development and a farm safety net, and finance programs to assist new farmers and small businesses are among key areas CA has been know for its creative work. A common goal is to improve the quality of life and economic opportunity for people and small business in Rural America.
Following is a list of testimony and public statements CA's legislative representatives have presented to Congress and state legislatures from 1994 through 2000. To request to see a copy of a full statement, CA members can email are request to publicaffairs@cainc.org" or call 1-800-432-3276.
May, 2000 - CA Statement to U.S. House Agriculture Committee on Federal Farm Policy
Washington, DC - CA submitted testimony urging that a stronger farm economic safety net be established to provide farmers better protection to deal with the drastic low prices and price swings experienced over the previous three years. Among recommendations: beef up value-added agricultural development; fast implementation of the crop insurance reforms approved by Congress, including expansion to cover livestock; extending time and flexibility with crop marketing loans; stronger anti-trust enforcement and market price reporting in consolidated ag markets; stronger market and cooperative development by states and USDA in sectors threatened with loss of market access; tax incentive programs to help producers weather swings in farm income.
April, 2000 - CA President testifies before IRS Citizens' Advisory Panel Hearing
Dubuque, IA - CA President Wayne Nelson testified before the IRS Citizens' Advisory Panel urging action by Congress and the IRS on several small business and farm tax policy issues. Among recommendations: raising business expensing allowances; clarifying that self-employment (Social Security) taxes are not due on top of income taxes on CRP rental income and other farmland rental income; and mitigating the Alternative Minimum Tax' harmful impact on income averaging for producers.
March, 2000 - CA Applauds Creation of Congressional Rural Caucus
Washington, DC - CA President Wayne Nelson, at a national news conference, commended Congress for reestablishing the Congressional Rural Caucus and urged all members to support public policies that protect and improve rural communities, the rural infrastructure, family farms and ranches.
March, 2000 - CA Urges Idaho Legislature to Pass Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Program
Boise, ID - Following a CA-sponsored informational seminar for mountain states agricultural officials in Bozeman, Montana, CA endorsed amendments before the Idaho legislature that authorized the Idaho Agriculture Department and the Idaho Housing and Finance Department to jointly offer a new Aggie Bond beginning farmers and ranchers program for the state.
February, 2000 - CA Testifies Before the Maryland Assembly on Health Insurance Risk Pools
Annapolis, MD - CA Vice President of Public Affairs of Public Affairs Bruce Abbe testified before the Maryland Assembly Committee on Economic Matters on proposed legislation that would restructure individual health insurance regulations to create more market competition, and establish a state high-risk health insurance pool for the uninsurable population.
January, 2000 - CA Urges Arizona Legislature to Establish State High-Risk Health Insurance Pool
Phoenix, AZ - CA's Bruce Abbe testified at an Arizona House of Representatives Insurance Committee Legislative Briefing on health insurance risk pools and how they provide needed insurance protection while helping keep private market health insurance more cost-competitive.
September, 1999 - CA Testimony to USDA's Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
Washington, DC - CA urged the USDA advisory panel to lend its backing to legislative efforts that would exempt Aggie Bond beginning farmer finance programs from state bond volume caps; authorize Farm Service Agency guarantees of Aggie Bonds; and maintain adequate funding for FSA's Downpayment Loan Program for Beginning Farmers. CA also urged USDA to help expand opportunities for beginning farmers' and ranchers' participation in value-added ag enterprises.
August, 1999 - CA Urges South Dakota Legislature to Enact Health Insurance High-Risk Pool
Pierre, SD - CA Vice President of Public Affairs Bruce Abbe testified before the South Dakota Legislatures Joint Interim Health Insurance Committee, urging the state lawmakers to establish a state high-risk pool to provide a health insurance safety net for its citizens, as 28 other states had previously done.
May, 1999 - CA Urges Congress to Pass Tax Relief for Small Employers
Washington, DC - CA President Wayne Nelson submitted a statement supporting the "Small Employer Tax Relief Act of 1999" at its introduction. Nelson cited several key provisions of the bill, introduced by the U.S. House Small Business Committee chairman, including: raising the health insurance tax deduction for the self-employed to 100 percent; increasing allowable small business expense treatment for depreciable property; reducing the capital gains tax; and preserving cash accounting methods for taxes.
May, 1999 - CA Backs Agricultural Bond Enhancement Act
Washington, DC - CA was the principal organization backing legislation introduced at this time by bipartisan legislators in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives that called for removing volume caps on state use of tax-exempt bonds to finance beginning farmers and ranchers programs. The change would enable the low interest finance programs to serve more borrowers in states that have been most successful in operating the programs.
January - May, 1999 - CA Proposes Crop Price Enhancement Program to Minnesota Legislature
St. Paul, MN - CA testified before Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives Committees urging the lawmakers to approve a detailed study developing a CA proposal for a producer-funded, state-backed revolving fund that would offer grain producers a voluntary price revenue insurance program.
April, 1999 - CA Testifies for FARRM Accounts Legislation
Washington, DC - CA President Wayne Nelson testified before the U.S. House Small Business Subcommittee on Rural Enterprises and Business Opportunities supporting legislation that would authorize Farm and Ranch Risk Management (FARRM) Accounts. Modeled after an earlier CA-proposal called Income Balancing Accounts, FARRM Accounts would allow producers to contribute to a tax-deferred savings account in good income years, and take it out without penalty in lower income years when it would be taxable.
February, 1999 - CA Backs "Death Tax Elimination Act" Legislation
Washington, DC - CA President Wayne Nelson submitted a statement endorsing the "Death Tax Elimination Act" at its introduction by more than 75 bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill called for a phase-out over a ten-year period of federal estate taxes.
February, 1999 - CA Backs Kansas Legislation to Improve Competition, Lower Costs in Health Insurance Market for Individuals
Topeka, KS - Testifying before the Kansas House of Representatives Insurance Committee, CA's Vice President of Public Affairs provided information in support of a bill that would amend state regulations: to improve the ability of trade associations to be able to offer health insurance plans for individual members at lower costs; and create more competition needed in the individual market.
January, 1999 - CA Urges Federal Action to Ease Economic Crisis in Livestock Industry
Washington, DC - CA submitted a statement to a special hearing of the U.S. Senate that called for several steps to ease an economic crisis facing American livestock producers, particularly hog producers who had seen prices plummet to as low as 8 cents a pound. Among CA's specific recommendations were: short term direct payment assistance to family hog producers facing bankruptcy; approval of legislation mandating full price disclosure and transparency in beef and hog markets; credit forebearance for, and by, lenders serving livestock producers; anti-trust investigation into concentration in meat packing industry; investigation of why retail prices had not followed farm price declines; approval of country of origin labeling for meat; expand meat inspection services available to small and specialized meat processing firms; establish a national Livestock Market Access Committee to recommend steps to insure long-term, competitive market access for family producers.
April, 1998 - CA Testifies on Health Care Tax Policy before Congress
Washington, DC - CA President Wayne Nelson testified before the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight on tax policy's impact on health insurance costs. Nelson urged the committee to approve a full, 100 percent tax deduction for health insurance premiums for the self-employed and others who pay for their own insurance; and to pass needed changes that would improve medical savings accounts.
April, 1998 - Nelson urges More Communication Between Farmers and Environmental Community
Fergus Falls, MN - In a guest commentary in Successful Farming magazine, CA President Wayne Nelson called for greater communication and understanding between farmers and the environmental community on environmental laws and regulations. Noting that, "Farmers and true environmentalists", Nelson argued that "We, as farmers, can ill afford to stonewall every environmental charge or challenge advanced by groups. We have a positive story to tell the public." Producers need to show how they are meeting environmental standards and be part of setting standards for the future.
March, 1998 - CA urges Florida Legislature to Approve Beginning Farmer Bond Program
Tallahassee, Florida - CA submitted testimony to the Florida House of Representatives urging them to approve legislation to establish a new Aggie Bond program for the state to provide favorable financing terms for eligible first time Florida farmers, ranchers and growers.
March , 1998 - CA Statement on Implementation of Federal Health Insurance Portability Act
Washington, DC - CA submitted a statement by Vice President of Public Affairs Bruce Abbe to a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources on implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). CA noted that, while studies showed that after one year the important new federal law was generally working well in provided portability among health plans for people who had group health insurance, there were problems with the cost of insurance under portability in many states. CA also noted that states using a risk pool to provide portability guarantees in the individual market had far fewer, if any, problems with high cost discrimination compared to states that relied on "federal fallback" mandated coverage requirements.
February, 1998 - CA urges Congress to Take Steps to Reduce the Tax Burden
Washington, DC - CA President Wayne Nelson testified before the full U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, urging Congress to take several actions to reduce the impact of taxes and clarify tax regulations affecting small businesses. Nelson called for: tax simplification for small businesses; reduced estate taxes for family-owned businesses; reform of IRS operations to provide fairer protection of taxpayers' rights; passage of Farm and Ranch Risk Management Accounts; and clarification of Congress intent on taxes on deferred contracts held by farmers and ranchers, and on self-employment taxes on farm rental income.
January, 1998ÑCA Comments on Budget for USDA Programs
Washington, DC - In a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture, CA urged stronger funding for several key USDA programs that had recently experienced cuts. Among them were: funding for Farm Service Agency direct and guaranteed loans for beginning farmers and ranchers; funding for the USDA Office of Energy and New Uses; and the USDA AARC Center which assisted commercialization of new non-food uses of agricultural products, such as biofuels, fiber boards and paper from agricultural fibers, and a wide array of new biobased, renewable agricultural products.
October, 1997 - CA urges Country of Origin Labeling for Imported Frozen Foods
Washington, DC - In a statement submitted to the U.S. Customs Service, CA urged final approval of a Custom's Service regulation requiring front panel labeling of country of origin for imported frozen produce.
August, 1997 - CA Testifies before U.S. National Commission on Small Farms
Sioux Falls, SD - CA President Wayne Nelson testified before a field hearing of the new USDA National Commission on Small Farms. Nelson urged the commission: to include several recommendations to strengthen federal and state beginning farmers finance programs; to push for stronger research and education programs focused on small farmers by USDA and the extension system; and recommended stronger incentives and technical support for small farmers to participate in value-added cooperatives and enterprises.
April, 1997 - CA Backs "Family Business Protection Act"
Washington, DC - CA President Wayne Nelson submitted a statement in support of the "Family Business Protection Act" at its introduction by bipartisan members of Congress. The legislation called for phasing in a higher unified tax credit to reduce the negative impact of estate taxes on family-owned businesses. CA noted the tragic and unnecessary loss to communities and families when farms and family-owned business assets have to be sold to pay inheritance taxes.
March, 1997 - CA Pushes to Reduce, Repeal Estate Taxes
Washington, DC - In testimony before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, CA President Wayne Nelson urged Congress called for reform and eventual repeal of federal estate taxes. As a member organization in the Family Business Estate Tax Coalition, CA and other national organizations believe estate taxes represent misguided policy that harms many small businesses and family farms, and hurts America's long-term prosperity by hindering continuity of family-owned small businesses, Nelson said.
March, 1997 - CA urges Kentucky to Establish Health Insurance Risk Pool
Frankfort, KY - Testifying before a hearing of the Kentucky Department of Insurance Industry and Consumer/Provider Task Force on Individual Insurance, CA Vice President of Public Affairs Bruce Abbe urged the state to approve legislation to create a high-risk health insurance pool to guarantee health coverage access, and pass other reforms to improve competition and lower costs for individual health insurance in the state. Health insurance reforms passed in previous years proved so harmful that the state experienced a near crisis, when nearly all insurance carriers left the individual market.
February, 1997 - CA Testimony on Issues Affecting Home-based Businesses and Women-owned Businesses
Washington, DC - CA submitted testimony by CA Board Member and Vice President Patsy Sanders to a U.S. Senate Small Business Committee hearing on issues Affecting Home-based Businesses and Women-owned Businesses. Sanders, who with her husband operates a family business and cotton growing operation, urged action on tax policy - reinstating the home-office tax deduction, and raising the tax deduction for self-employed people for health insurance premiums.
January, 1997 - CA Statement on Family Farm Tax Simplification Act
Washington DC - In a statement of Wayne Nelson, President, CA offered support for the Family Farm Tax Simplification act at its introduction. The bill called for needed flexibility on the timing of taxes for farmers using deferred payment contracts, to avoid unfairly being hit by the federal Alternative Minimum Tax. The bill clarified that taxes would be due in the year producers actually received payment for the contracts.
September, 1996 - CA testifies for Reliable Annual Funding of Federal Essential Air Service Program
Washington, DC - In testimony before the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee's Subcommittee on Aviation, CA President Wayne Nelson urged Congress to pass legislation that would provide reliable funding for the federal Essential Air Service (ESA) program, which had recently experienced severe cuts. Following airline deregulation in the 1980s, most major airlines stopped providing passenger air service in all but the major metropolitan areas. ESA provided funding assistance for airports and commuter service to 79 mid-size communities in rural areas throughout the country. CA noted the small cost of the program, but emphasized the important of continuing affordable air service for rural development purposes for these regional rural cities.
September, 1996 - CA Testifies on Rural Health Care Quality Issues, Medicare Reimbursement Rates
Washington, DC - CA President Wayne Nelson, testifying before the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, said rural health care system consumers believe it is important they have access to the same quality of health care services that urban communities have. Nelson urged the committee to enact equal federal Medicare reimbursement rates for rural hospitals and health providers to stop the discrimination that makes it more difficult for health providers to practice in rural areas, and leads to unfair, behind-the-scenes cost shifting from under funded federal program care to costs for private health insurance.
July, 1996 - CA Backs "Rural Health Improvement Act"
Washington, DC - At a conference at the introduction of the Rural Health Improvement Act of 1996, CA submitted a statement backing the bill's steps to improve the rural health care provider system. The legislation called for: easing inequities in Medicare reimbursement rates for providers and physicians in rural areas; increasing support for the National Health Service Corps, which assists physicians to practice in underserved rural areas; establishing Medicare reimbursement for telemedicine services used by rural providers; and set up a limited emergency and basic service category of rural hospitals for reimbursement.
April, 1996 - CA Testifies for Estate Tax Reform
Washington, DC - Testifying before the full House Ways and Means Committee, CA President Wayne Nelson spoke about real life experiences faced by family businesses and family farms due to estate taxes; and the cost and complexity of estate planning the current tax system forces families to contend with.
December, 1995 - CA Backs Legislation Prohibiting Retroactive Tax Increases
Washington, DC - CA's Wayne Nelson testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs in support of an amendment to the Congressional Budget Act that would prohibit Congress from considering legislation provisions that would result in "retroactive tax increases" - taxes that go up on income and assets earned back before the law was actually passed.
May, 1995 - CA Presents Recommendations at 1995 Ag Summit on New Uses
Washington, DC - As chairman of the national New Uses Council, CA Vice President of Public Affairs Bruce Abbe presented to the USDA Secretary of Agriculture the recommendations of a six month project of the council that gathered the recommendations of the nation's leading experts on new biobased product development, for 1995 Farm Bill consideration.
April 20, 1995 - CA Testifies on 1995 Farm Bill
Sioux City, IA - CA President Wayne Nelson testified at a field hearing of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee on several areas for inclusion in the upcoming, omnibus farm bill. Among CA's recommendation were: retaining a strong Conservation Reserve Program; reasonable conservation compliance regulations; practical rules regarding wetlands designations, including standard definitions among agencies; expanded USDA technical assistance, and new tax incentives, for farmer investment in value-added cooperatives; beefed up new uses research and development programs at USDA; maintaining the farm mediation programs and new beginning farmer loan programs; streamlining farm program procedures and paperwork; maintaining an adequate farm safety net.
April, 1995 - CA Urges Minnesota Legislature to Continue Farm Mediation Program
St. Paul, MN - In a statement to the Minnesota Senate Agriculture Committee, CA urged that the state farm mediation program, benefiting from cooperative federal funding, be continued. CA argued that even though the farm economy had recently improved and demand for services from the program were down, the track record for the farm mediation programs showed they saved money for lenders and borrowers, and they would be needed again.
April, 1995 - CA Backs New Uses Development Program
Washington, DC - In a joint letter signed by 18 major national agricultural organizations, CA called for continuation and adequate funding for the USDA Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization Center, which provided cost share, commercialization funding on a pay-back basis for development of new non-food, renewable resource-based products from agriculture.
March, 1995 - CA Backs School Lunch Program
Fergus Falls, MN - In a guest editorial published nationally, CA Chairman of the Board Milt Smedsrud, argued successfully against a move in the U.S. House of Representatives to dismantle the school breakfast and lunch programs, served by 92,000 schools to reach 5 million kids, and replace them with block grants.
March 1994 - CA urges Restoration of the Home-Office Tax Deduction
Washington, DC - In letters to members of the U.S. House of Representatives, CA urged passage of legislation introduced to restore the home-office tax deduction for essential business administrative and management activities, which had been severely restricted by a recent court decision.
September, 1994 - CA Testifies on Conservation Reserve Program
Aberdeen, SD - Testifying before a joint hearing of the U.S. Senate and House Agriculture Subcommittees dealing with federal conservation programs, CA President Wayne Nelson spoke out for continuation of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Nelson noted the enormous environmental, soil conservation and wildlife habitat benefits of the CRP program. He also recommended new provisions, including authorizing CRP acres to be used for establishing new biomass energy crops.
May, 1994 - CA Urges Passage of Vegetable Ink Printing Act
Washington, DC - In testimony submitted to the U.S. House Government Operations Committee, CA Vice President of Public Affairs offered CA's support for legislation that was approved that required the federal government to give preference to use of soy and other renewable, agriculture-based inks in government printing purchases. This was one of the first government, environmentally-preferred purchasing policies to recognize the benefits of renewable ag-based resources.
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